Gingerbread Dreams

The culinary crew at University Village worked for days designing, baking, constructing and decorating a massive gingerbread house for the residents. (Left to right): Chef de Cuisine Michael Aviles, Food and Beverage Manager Nicholas Albrecht, and Pastry Chef Momo Galera use a delicate touch to ice and decorate the 5-foot by 4-foot house.

Lisa McInally

For the young and young at heart, nothing says the holidays like a gingerbread house. At University Village retirement community in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a culinary "construction crew" worked for three days to build a massive 5-foot by 4-foot gingerbread house. Now on display in the community's Avalon Dining Room, Food and Beverage Manager Nicholas Albrecht, along with Pastry Chef Momo Galera and Chef de Cuisine Michael Aviles, designed and constructed the colossal confectionary. Everything from gumdrops to candy canes, licorice and icing were used to bring the fairy-tale house to life.

This story is contributed by a member of the community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with Ventura County Star.